Second Piece of the Map (2)

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"Speak! Please!" Arnald begged, shaking Curt. "Your father made the same mistake once, I couldn't help him then, but if you can just tell me the situation of things, maybe... just maybe I could help out."

"They have..." Royal Advisor Curt began.

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"... it in their possession." Immediately those words fell off Royal Advisor Curt's lips, Arnald pushed him away, as if burnt by fire.

"How is that remotely possible?" Arnald shook his head in disbelief, "No, that can't be right!"

"How is it possible you're with the other half?" Royal Advisor Curt raised a brow.

"I found it in my son's hands, the day I got home, I found the piece of paper scrunched up in his palm and he wouldn't open it no matter where he went. I tried prying further but his mother told me to let him be, probably he was going through a phase, but since then, he had been acting strange ever since." Arnald replied, deep in thought.

°Father, that was a silly move you pulled back then. No wonder they were able to find us° Royal Advisor Curt gazed at the ceiling.

"Your father warned that I should flee from the Kingdom, as stubborn as I was then, I didn't listen. But on the second day, news spread like wildfire that I had betrayed the King. Yet again your father advised I flee," Arnald balled his hands in a fist, closing his eyes as he tried to steady his breathing.

Then he continued: "I had asked how I would flee from the Kingdom, when we were surrounded by a forest which had been the cause of lots of disappearance in the Kingdom. My word! That was the same forest the King would exile those who he deemed betrayers to, so they wander aimlessly till their screams couldn't be heard anymore. He said my son had the answers in his palm, it was then I realized he had met with my son or my son had met with him." He shook his head in confusion.

"I'm pretty sure my father had met him before he was captured." Royal Advisor Curt had corrected.

"That would explain why they thought I was a traitor," Arnald sighed.

"If your son didn't want to open it, how was it in your possession?" Royal Advisor Curt rubbed his chin, narrowing his eyes.

"For once, I listened to your father's advice and left for my home that day, but I was too late, I had just opened the door when I was met with my wife's lifeless eyes staring right at me, her blood soaked dress a grim reminder of what had transpired, looking to the side, I saw a bloody knife in my son's hand, he had passed out probably due to shock..."

"Wait, hold up, you mean, he killed your wife, his mother?" Royal Advisor Curt interjected in shock.

"Would you let me finish explaining?" Arnald snapped in annoyance.

"Carry on then." Royal Advisor Curt relaxed.

"Beside him laid some of my subordinates who were covered in blood, I presumed they didn't see that coming, what did they expect from the son of a Knight Commander?" Arnald forced a laugh. "Anyways, his grip on the paper was eased, so I was able to take it out of his hand then."

"And you never wondered why it was ripped in half?" Royal Advisor Curt shook his head, laughing at how stupid Arnald was then. "You saw a ripped map and thought it was remotely complete?"

"Well I had never seen the whole piece before, so how was I supposed to know?" Arnald shrugged. "I just thought the map was a just a way we could use to navigate our way through the Mirage Forest to Glacier, our one hope of survival and away from Azalon entirely." Arnald felt uneasy by his own reasoning at that moment.

"Do you know how stupid that sounds? Your stupidity cost us everything!" Royal Advisor yelled in rage.

"..." Arnald looked on in shock at being blamed, he knew he had acted foolishly, but never had he thought about the consequences of his actions.

°Calm down Curt, or you might draw unnecessary attention to your chamber° His thought warned.

"Do you know where that second piece leads to?" Royal Advisor Curt stood up from his seat, pacing about his room.

"No! Does it lead to anywhere important?" Arnald questioned.

°Important you say?° Royal Advisor Curt gave a dry laughter.

"In other to look for your son, the boy in my father's vision," Royal Advisor Curt made an air quote on the latter part, "He used a map, a complete map at that, which could take him back and forth from both Kingdoms through the Mirage Forest."

Arnald still looked on in confusion, he wasn't getting where Curt's speech was heading.

"Now tell me, where do you think that map would lead to if because of that lost part, I lost everything?!" Royal Advisor Curt shot a glare at Arnald.

Realisation dawned on him, "You- you don't mean it led to your home?" Arnald wished he was wrong.

A smirk made it's way to Royal Advisor Curt's lips, clapping his hands he remarked: " Congratulations! You've figured it out."

"I didn't know, I'm so sorry." Arnald hung his head low in guilt.

"I think it's already too late for that, don't you think?" Royal Advisor Curt smiled.

"If you say, they have the map which can only lead to your home and back to Azalon, how were they able to come to Glacier?" Arnald questioned.

"That's where my brother and I come into all these mess." Royal Advisor Curt wiped his face, pulling his chair, he sat back down.

"You see, my brother and I are sorta what one would call twins." Royal Advisor Curt rose his head to have a glimpse of the shocked expression on Arnald's face.

"..."

"We are what you can call a compass, a guide through the forest, we had a friend who gave us this gift, my father could conjure a full fledged map which could stand the test of time, while we could conjure up only half of it, but once used, it fades away." Royal Advisor Curt explained.

"So your brother conjured up a map to Glacier for them." Arnald solemnly reasoned.

Royal Advisor Curt nodded his head in agreement.

"While I can conjure up a map back to Azalon!" Curt sighed in guilt. "But the one in charge at the background isn't satisfied with just that, but needs the other half of the map, the one in your possession, I have tried my best to stall his demands but I don't know how long before we are found out. If he gets his hands on that map, there would be no use for my brother and I." Royal Advisor Curt dishevelled his brown hair in frustration.

"Do you now see why Allen needs to help me? If you don't want his help, then fine by me!" Royal Advisor Curt raised his hands in surrender. "But Allen is the only one who can carry out our revenge without anyone suspecting."

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